Thanks to higher memory prices, Sony has a tough couple of years ahead, which is a pity, because the firm’s achievements in FY25 should have set it on a path to solid earnings growth in both years. Problematically, Sony is now heavily exposed to decisions by others – notably Apple’s iPhone pricing – and the outlook could be considerably worse than Pelham Smithers outlines in this earnings preview for FY25 and beyond.
This note contains two articles related to Sony: One highlighting how November sales of the 5-yr-old PS5 is outselling the Switch 2 and an update on Sony’s new game Marathon. It is due in next year but PSA’s gaming expert, Pelham Smithers, is not expecting much.
While the FY25 Q3 results constituted a beat, they came in quite close to what the share price implied. However, the guidance for Q4 surprised on the upside. Pelham Smithers reviews the performance and outlook, with a readacross to beneficiaries in Japan and the numbers from China.
Sony’s FY25 Q2 OP at ¥429bil (+10% YoY) came in ahead of consensus at ¥390bil and our forecast of ¥410bil. The firm raised its full-year OP target, also ahead of consensus, and for good measure, has thrown in a ¥100bil share buyback; not exactly meaningful on ¥26tril market cap, but at least a gesture. Pelham Smithers reviews the performance but has concerns on how far Sony can further push out the envelope.
For almost three years the Nikkei 225 has been tracking its performance from the 2003~5 bull market, albeit at levels some 3.3x higher In this report, Pelham Smithers discusses the similarities and asks three key questions: (1) Can we continue to track 2005 through the rest of the year; (2) Whatever happens in Q4, should we fear or be hopeful for 2026? And (3) Who are the upcoming winners and losers.
Switch 2, Hello Kitty and Demon Slayer have underlined the success of Japan’s global pop culture influence. In this review, Pelham Smithers discusses whether 2025 will be the peak, or if there more to come. In light of the capital limitations faced by Japanese game developers evident at TGS2025, Pelham thinks further consolidation is likely and suggests three likely scenarios.
This CY25 Q2 has been another tremendous quarter for the Japanese video game sector, driven by the release of the Switch 2. Analyst Pelham Smithers reviews the performance and offerings of the video game stocks PSA covers and delivers his updated rankings.
The US market has been good to Japanese game developers, so far, in 2025. Pelham Smithers updates us on what is performing well in the charts and what implications it has for the upcoming earnings season. Several companies have seen their shares rise April-to-date, so the FY25 outlook will be closely watched.
In this quarterly strategy report, we look to evaluate where we are with regards the bull market conditions, and where those indicators might be headed, factoring in the downside risks, from Trump tariffs and the US economy, BoJ actions, Japanese earnings and valuations.
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